last updated:
3 Oct 1998
Birmingham Cathedral
St Philip
Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2QB. Telephone: 0121 236 4333 or 6323
The Anglican Cathedral of St Philip, situated at the heart of the city, is treasured as an oasis of calm and beauty amid the busy activity surrounding it. It was built as a parish church in 1715 in the English Baroque style and became a cathedral in 1905, as the City grew in importance. It is world famous for its stained-glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones, who was born in the parish.
Organist:
Assistant:
Organ:
Schwarbrick 1715, most recently
rebuilt by Nicholson's of Malvern in 1993. 4 manuals, sited on the north side of the
chancel.
Extracts from A Brief History,
written in 1993 by Marcus Huxley
When St, Philip's Church was built in 1715, Schwarbrick (a pupil of the famous Renatus Harris) installed an organ in a West end gallery. The present organ retains from the original organ the magnificent South casework (facing across the Church) and 6 or 7 ranks of pipes: the Great (smaller) Diapason chorus and Stopt Diapason and the Choir Open Diapason.
Snetzler added the Choir Stopt Diapason in 1777 and George Pike England the Swell Open Diapason and Principal in 1805. In 1883, the chancel was enlarged and Hill moved the organ to its present position in the north-east corner of the Church. In 1894, Nicholson's added a third manual.
In 1905 the Church was made the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Birmingham. The next major re-build came 24 years later in 1929, again by Nicholson's. They added the Solo division, making it a 4-manual instrument. The present console and most of the reeds date from the 1929 work.
In 1940 the Cathedral was severely damaged by fire bombs and the organ suffered mainly from the firefighters' water. It was then dismantled and stored in Pershore Abbey. The 1948 re-build (again by Nicholson's) was an opportunity to make some changes. Electro-pneumatic action replaced the tubular pneumatic action. The Swell Oboe was replaced by a Clarion. The Clarinet moved from the Choir to the (enclosed) Solo, where it replaced a Vox Humana, and a Tuba Major plus Pedal Ophicleide were added.
In 1969, inspired by the then new Nicholson organ in St. Chad's Cathedral, the Friends of the Cathedral contributed the Trompeta Real, a fiery Fanfare Trumpet which replaced the big Tuba. The following year, 1970, the instrument was greatly enhanced by the addition of the gallery casework, which dates from c.1730.
The 1993 Re-build
Thanks to the great generosity of the Bigbury Trust, it was possible to commission
Nicholson's, who have now had care of the organ for 100 years, to undertake this major
work. The thinking behind the present lay-out is to provide two organs in one.
The first, south facing, is for accompanying a choir in the chancel. It comprises the Choir (in the front of the south case, acting as a "chancel Great"); the Solo behind it, speaking through the Choir; and the Swell (on top of the Solo and using only its south-facing shutters) with the Pedal basses in the back corner.
The second, west facing, speaks from the gallery for use in the nave (recitals. voluntaries and accompanying a congregation). It comprises the Great (immediately behind the gallery case-work): the Swell behind it (with both sets of shutters working) and the Pedal and Trompeta Real well placed to speak from the gallery. The "Chancel" departments, Choir and Solo, are also usable, though with slightly less direct impact in the nave.
Other innovations include 8 general pistons (on 16 channels), Tremulants Great and Choir, a Solo/Choir coupler and a more conventional lay-out of stops at the console.
There is much more detail and a full specification in the leaflet available from the Cathedral.
Choir:
16 boys (no choir school - boys come from 10 different schools), 4A, 3T, 3B.
| There are occasional vacancies for trebles. Parents of musical boys between the ages of 8 and 11 are invited to contact Marcus Huxley if they would like their son to be considered for a place in the Cathedral Choir. |
The Cathedral Girls Choir was set up by Rosemary Field just over 5 years ago and is now directed by Marcus Huxley with the assistance of Christopher Allsop and Sylvia Fox.
The girls range in age from 9 to 18 and attend many different schools in the City. They rehearse on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school and sing Evensong most Thursdays. They also take part with the boys and/or the men in special concerts and services, such as Faure's Requiem, Handel's Messiah and Britten's Ceremony of Carols, which they will be performing (with the boys) on Sunday 25th January.
Girls currently come from the following schools: King Edward VI High School for Girls, King Edward VI Handsworth School, Edgbaston Church of England College, St Martin's Solihull, Lyndon School, Queen Mary's High School Walsall, Erdington Church of England Junior School, Sutton Girls, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Hillcrest, Handsworth Wood Girls, St Paul's School, Bromsgrove School, and King's Norton Girls.
| Enquiries for membership of the Girls' Choir (ages 9 to 18) are invited by Marcus Huxley, the Cathedral Organist. Girls are not usually required at weekends. |
Services:
Sunday: Eucharist at 11:00, Evensong at 4:00
Telephone: 0121 236 4333
Recordings:
Anthems, Carols and Sacred Songs (1995)
Other
Information:
On the Assistant
Organist's own pages , there is a picture of the organ and its specification.
Previous
Organists:
Willis Grant (1936-1958)
Thomas Tunnard (1958-1967)
Roy Massey (1968-1974)
David Bruce-Payne (1974-1978)
Hubert Best (1978-1985)